Outdoor Apparatus and Methods to Treat Wastes, Wastewater and Contaminated Water Bodies

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an apparatus, methods and applications to grow microorganisms on-site to treat contaminated environments. Furthermore, the invention refers to an apparatus that is designed to function under a wide range of environmental conditions including extreme cold, extreme heat and direct exposure to sunlight. Such environments normally reduce the shelf-life of the organisms in the holding chamber that feeds the fermenter where they are being grown. These environments can also lower the growth rate of the organisms in the fermenter causing diminished cell output. Quite often the optimum point of application for the organisms is outdoor and too far from structures with appropriate protection from ultraviolet radiation from the sun or from excessive cold or hot weather. The invention also claims a dark coating that blocks ultraviolet radiation and a special coating that reflects heat away from the bioreactor. In addition, the invention claims a flexible micropore diffuser that allows aeration while gently mixing the fermentation broth. Finally, the invention claims a membrane bacterial filter for the air supply which prevents pathogens from entering the fermentation chamber. Such membrane bacterial filter is very economical and easy to replace.

TECHNICAL FIELD Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the invention. It shows all theelements of the invention with the auger system 10 (FIG. 1) in an angleto deliver the microorganisms and nutrients into the fermentationchamber 1 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 2 does not show all the elements in the invention. It shows theauger system 10 (FIG. 2) in a vertical configuration to deliver themicroorganisms and nutrients into the fermentation chamber 1 (FIG. 2).

FIG. 3 does not show all the elements in the invention. It shows thefeed storage 9 (FIG. 3) and auger system 10 (FIG. 3) in a configurationhanging above the fermentation chamber 1 (FIG. 3),

FIG. 4 shows data of the effect of the heat-reflective coating in claim1(g). The data shows the temperature recorded by three calibratedthermometers. One was directly exposed to sunlight showing a temperatureof 129 F. The second was inside a high density polyethylene (HDPE) tankwith recorded temperature of 126 F. The third thermometer was alsoinside a high density polyethylene (HDPE) tank but this tank was coatedwith the heat-reflective coating in claim 1(g).

The present invention relates to a cultivation system for bacteria,fungi or actinomyces in a bioreactor that is placed on-site at thelocation of a contaminated environment described in claim 2. Theorganisms degrade the contaminants in the environment through digestion.Such process is known in the art as bioremediation. The organisms usedin the art are safe and efficient in the degradation of variouscontaminants. The formulation used in the bioreactor depends on thetarget contaminants. Customized formulations can be prepared to target awide range of contaminants at the same time. The organisms dispensedinto the contaminated environment to degrade the selected contaminantscan be chosen from those that would prosper in the conditions of theenvironment where they would be applied. Some of these conditions arepH, temperature, nutrient levels, salinity, presence of bacterialinhibitors, availability or lack of oxygen etc.

The apparatus and methods of the invention have features that allow thegrowth of organisms efficiently outdoors under various environmentalconditions such as extreme heat, extreme cold or direct intensesunlight. Quite often the location where the organisms need to beapplied is not near a building or enclosure that can provide protectionfrom extreme temperature or sunlight.

High temperatures (104 F or above) and ultraviolet radiation from directsunlight are detrimental for the growth of microorganisms. For thesereasons, the bioreactors are often enclosed away from such environmentsto ensure efficient growth. Stored organisms in feed chambers are alsoaffected by high heat and even constant low ultraviolet radiation fromsunlight. Many vegetative species (organisms that do not produce spores)which are very useful such as pseudomonas, paracoccus, nitrobacter,nitrosomas, thiobacillus are very sensitive to high heat and ultravioletradiation from sunlight. Loss of viability results in low counts ofthese species in the feed going to the fermentation chamber.Furthermore, excess heat and sunlight can also cause low proliferationof various species when they reproduce themselves in the fermentationbroth. On the other hand, cold temperature slows proliferation oforganisms in the fermentation chamber also resulting in low cell counts.

The invention overcomes ultraviolet radiation from the sun with a darkcoating that keeps out ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. Excess heatis overcome with a coating that reflects heat. The coating is made up ofa special polymer and micro-ceramic spheres described in claim 1 g). Theoptional canopy system or shed in claim 1 h) also aids to keep excessivesolar heat radiation from overheating the fermentation bath and theorganisms in the feed chamber of claim 1 f). Additionally, the portableair conditioner of claim 1 i) helps protect from high temperature.During excessive hot weather, the air conditioner provides cool air intothe control box to protect electronics. The cool air exits via a tubeinto the double wall of the feed chamber that stores the organisms orinto a cooling jacket wrapped around the chamber. This prevents highheat in the storage chamber and allows the feeding organisms to maintainan extended shelf life. The air exits the double wall into the inletport of the air pump that aerates the fermentation chamber. This allowscool air into the fermentation chamber preventing it from overheatingdue to environmental heat. The size and power of the air conditionerdepends on the size of the reactor system. Guidelines of the size andpower needed can be provided by one of various air conditioning systemsspecialized in electronic systems such as Kooltronic from New Jersey.The air conditioner has a dust filter to prevent unwanted dust fromentering the control box.

Cold weather is normally overcome with the use of a heater. However, ifthe weather is very cold and there is not enough heating capacity, thefermentation media does not achieve optimum temperature. This isespecially true when the environment temperature is near freezing orbelow it. Cold air enters the chamber during aeration of thefermentation media and often may overcome the heating capacity of theheating element. The invention uses a heater with high heat capacity.Over engineering of this element as described in claim 1 e) allows thefermentation chamber to be placed in very cold environments. Because theheating element is set to a specific temperature, there is no danger ofoverheating the media. It is important for the bioreactor to generatehigh enough cell counts especially if the contaminated environmentweather is cold. The reason for this is that cold weather reducesbiological activity dramatically. In order to make up for the lowerbiological activity, higher numbers of organisms are needed for properdigestion of contaminants.

The bioreactor contains a flexible air diffuser (claim 1b) that canprovide air or pure oxygen to the organism culture. This diffuser iscomposed of a flexible micropore hose that can be shaped as desired toallow complete mixing of the culture without the need of mixers orrecirculating pumps. Pumps create shear stress that can damage cellmembranes. The flexible hose diffuser with micropores provides aerationand gentle agitation of the cells during the process of fermentation toallow the organisms to interact with their nutrients.

An additional feature of the invention is a membrane-air filter thatprevents bacteria, fungi, spores and higher lifeforms from entering thefermentation chamber through the air supply. The membrane has a low poresize of 0.2 microns to prevent pathogenic microorganisms from the air toenter the fermenter. This provides protection from growing pathogens inthe fermentation chamber which can be very dangerous to operators of thefermenter or anyone working near it. The best location for thisbiological filter is after the air pump and before the air diffuser.Biological filters are normally expensive and can only be reused a fewtimes before discarding them. They also need to be removed and taken toa location where they can be autoclaved every time before they can bereused. The membrane filter in the invention is very economical andeffective. Several membranes can be autoclaved sterilized and kept atthe reactor location in an autoclaved bag. After several cycles of thebioreactor, the membrane can be discarded and another membrane can beplaced. Replacement of the membrane is easy, fast, economical andconvenient. The membrane can be held in place by various means such asclamped connectors or a screwable PVC connector union as described inclaim 1 d).

In the art of bioremediation, contaminated waters, soil or biosolids areremediated using organisms such as bacteria or fungi sold as dormant orstabilized cultures. These products are sold in powder, pellets, liquidor in gel form. In all cases, the cells have to be placed in a state ofdormancy that is known by those in the arts. This dormancy process isnecessary for the shelf life of products sold in containers. The variousdormancy processes kill a large percentage of the organisms. As much ashalf or more of the culture cells can be lost in the dormancy process.

In addition, commercially sold products have many high costs associatedwith them such as manufacturing, labor, process control, dormancymethods, dilution, standardization methods to maintain consistent viablecells, packaging and freight of diluted products. Even though powderproducts can contain desiccated organisms in spore form or in vegetativeform (whole cells), these products have the additional cost ofcontrolled dehydration of cells under rigorous conditions to reduce celldeath. Pelletized products have the additional cost of pelletizing.

Liquid commercial products can be sold as spores or in vegetative form(whole cells). Liquid spore products are normally sold at concentrationsthat range from 0.1 billion cells per milliliter to 1 billion cells permilliliter (cell forming units or cfu). In addition to the costsmentioned before, they have two significant disadvantages. The firstdisadvantage is that not all microorganisms used in bioremediationproduce spores. A great number of organisms used in bioremediation onlyexist in vegetative form. This greatly limits the organism species thatcan be used and reduces the efficiency and scope of target substratesand environments. The second major disadvantage is that spores couldtake hours to come out of dormancy and germinate into active vegetativecells depending on the temperature, oxygen level, pH and types ofnutrients in the environment where they are used. In many cases, by thetime the organisms germinate, they can be washed away such as in thecase of application in the sewer or in short detention time systems.Even when they germinate, it takes time before they begin to reproducethemselves. This causes the organisms to reproduce themselves less timesduring the detention time of the contaminated environment. In the caseof an onsite bioreactor such as the one in this application, theorganisms are applied to the environment in vegetative form ready tobegin to digest the contaminants and to reproduce themselves.

There are commercial liquid products that contain vegetative cells.These types of products also suffer from the same costly issuesmentioned. Some products that are fully dormant in vegetative form needto undergo very severe dormancy methods that kill a large amount of thecells in the batch. Also, some of the chemicals used in the dormancyprocess can produce powerful-undesirable pungent odors. Other liquidvegetative products are in a semi-dormant state. These products are solddiluted. They are normally 0.1 to 0.2 billion cells per milliliter(cfu). The reason for this is that these semi-dormant bacteria arestored with some nutrients to keep them alive. The concentration oforganisms and nutrients cannot be too high because the container wouldget bloated with gases produced during metabolism. In addition, if ahigh concentration of cells is used, the nutrients would be depletedfaster causing the cells to die and shorten the product shelf life.Finally, care must be taken with these semi-dormant products because ifthe container is open and it is not fully used, it has the risk ofgetting contaminated by pathogens from the environment which would growat the expense of the nutrients in the product. This poses a danger forpeople handling a contaminated product.

Bioremediation products can also be sold in gel blocks or gel cylinders.These products dissolve gradually in the environment where they areused. The organisms in these products are in spore form because heat isneeded to solidify the gel and if vegetative organisms are used, theywould die with the heat. The gel also contains antimicrobial products toprevent the spores from activating and begin to grow prematurely insidethe gel. Antimicrobial products would also kill vegetative cells in thegel if they were used. For these reasons, gel products suffer from thesame disadvantages as other spore products which need time to germinate.Finally, gel blocks or cylinders have an additional costly manufacturingand handling processes associated with them.

An on-site bioreactor solves all of the shortcomings mentioned. Theyproduce high concentrations of vegetative organisms. This concentrationnormally ranges from 2 to 4 billion cells per milliliter butconcentrations as high as 10 billion per ml could be achieved. Sporeformers and vegetative organisms can be grown in the bioreactor and areapplied to the contaminated environment when they are in vegetative formduring the stationary phase of growth. At this stage, the organisms areentering the starvation mode. When they are applied to the contaminatedenvironment, they begin to digest contaminants right away. Because theorganisms from the bioreactor are active, they do not need time to comeout of the dormancy state such as it is the case of dry vegetativebacteria or bacteria in spore form. In the on-site bioreactor, there areno dormancy steps of manufacturing that kill a high percentage oforganisms. Also, there are no expensive standardization and processcontrols because the bioreactor outputs organisms at consistent numbers.In addition, there are no labor, packaging and transporting costs ofdiluted products. Finally, the species of microorganism that go into thebioreactor can be customized to target specific contaminants and tothrive under the conditions of the environment where they are appliedsuch as pH, temperature, oxygen level, salinity, nutrient levels, toxinsetc. With bottled products, this is not normally done because bottledproducts are manufactured in large batches for a wide range of needs andtypes of environments. In most cases these products are not customizedfor the specific contaminants and conditions of the environment wherethey will be used.

There are other on-site bioreactor systems but they do not have featuresthat allow them to be used outdoors in extreme temperatures or exposedto direct sunlight. This limits their use to mild weathers or indoorsbuildings to allow them to maintain effective cell counts. Hightemperature can damage electronics, organisms and nutrients in thestorage chamber. It also affects the fermentation broth making itdifficult to maintain the optimum temperature for the organisms to growefficiently in the bioreactor. In addition, if a bioreactor is outdoors,ultraviolet light from sunlight may also hinder the optimum growth oforganism. Additionally, some of these bioreactors lack a biologicalfilter to prevent pathogens from entering the bioreactor via the airsupply. Others relay on expensive filters that need to be taken to a labfor autoclaving and then placed back in the bioreactor before they areeventually discarded.

For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,182 granted in 1998 to Lucido, Keenan,Premuzic, Lin and Shelenkova describes an on-site bioreactor that hasthree chambers. The first chamber holds the feed microorganisms, asecond chamber supplies water with inorganic nutrients and a thirdchamber provides organic nutrients. This patent does have a biologicalair filter to prevent pathogenic contamination from entering thefermentation chamber through the air supply. Pathogens growing in thefermentation chamber are potentially dangerous for anyone working withor near the bioreactor. Some pathogens can produce naturalantimicrobials to allow them to dominate environments even whennon-pathogens have been fed in large numbers at the start of thefermentation process. The patent, also, does not make mention of asuitable heating element with reasonable capacity to maintaintemperature in the fermentation chamber in the event of cold weather.When environmental air is provided as a source of oxygen to thefermentation chamber, the temperature of the air may be very low in thecase of the winter season in many areas. The large volume of air neededfor oxygenation will make it difficult for the fermentation chamber tomaintain optimum growth temperature for the organisms. In addition, theapparatus does not have a cooling element that allows the control ofexcessive environmental heat in hot months. Excessive heat from exposureto the environment temperature and from direct sunlight will raise thetemperature of the fermentation chamber above optimum causing areduction in cell proliferation or even death. Excessive heat will alsokill organisms in the feed chamber. This will cause lower initial cellcounts during fermentation which can cause lower cell counts at the endof the fermentation cycle. In addition, lower initial cell counts makeit more likely that pathogens which infiltrate the chamber woulddominate the fermentation broth. The bioreactor in the cited patent isnot designed for outdoor use in extreme hot or cold weather. It islimited to enclosure in buildings or temperature controlled structures.The bioreactor has additional shortcomings. It uses a mixing system tostir the components in the fermenter. This can be a source of shearstress to the cells being grown causing cell rupture and reducing celloutput. In contrast, the flexible hose diffuser claimed in the presentpatent application mixes the contents thoroughly without shear stress.Finally, the patent cited above does not make any mention of protectionfrom ultraviolet radiation. Some of the organisms in the feed tank andin the fermenter can be damaged by even low-constant levels ofultraviolet radiation from sunlight.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,941 granted in June 2002 to Lucido and Shafferconsists of a fermentation chamber and a nutrient chamber that containsinorganic and organic nutrients. The patent does not describe abiological filter that would prevent pathogens from entering thefermentation chamber through the air going in for aeration. This isdangerous for people working with the bioreactor or near it. Pathogenscan enter the fermentation chamber through the air supply and reproducethemselves in large numbers. Furthermore, there is no mention ofsufficient heating capacity to prevent extreme-cold winter air fromcooling the fermentation chamber. Moreover, there is no mention of anycooling system to protect feed organisms and organisms in thefermentation chamber from extreme environmental heat. Finally, nomention is made of protection from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.This system does not seem to be designed for all-weather and outdooroperation.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,355 granted in September 2004 to Shaffer, Fernandesand Lucido describes a bioreactor system. This bioreactor does notprovide protection from the environment in excessively cold or hotweather. There is no mention of enough heating capacity or a coolingsystem that would keep the fermentation chamber within the neededtemperature for optimum fermentation. In addition, there is no mentionof a coating or any other means to reflect heat and ultravioletradiation from direct sunlight. Another shortcoming is that the air isbrought into the fermentation chamber via an air pump exits into thechamber in a submersed “airtube”. Such tube does not appear to provideadequate air bubble distribution for optimum oxygen exchange and mixingof the contents in the fermentation chamber. This is in direct contrastwith the flexible air hose diffuser described in the present patentapplication which can be bent into any shape to maximize oxygen transferand provide gentle mixing free of shear stress through small bubbles foroptimum oxygen exchange. Finally, the air filtration in this patent(U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,355) is not economical nor easy to change such asis the case of the autoclavable filter membrane described in the presentpatent application.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,032 granted in January 2006 to the same inventors,Shaffer, Fernandes and Lucido also has the same shortcomings describedabove in U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,355. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 7,022,234granted in April 2006 to the same inventors, Shaffer, Fernandes andLucido once again has the same shortcomings.

In another instance of an on-site bioreactor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,335,191granted to Kiplinger, Pruitt, Evaro, Pearce and Robert Clarence inJanuary 2002 describes a bioreactor that uses a vortex system to mixorganisms and to bring them in contact with air. This system has arecirculating pump to mix the organisms in a vortex and bring them tothe surface for aeration. One of the shortcomings of this system is thatthe constant shear stress of a recirculating pump can damage the cellmembrane of organisms reducing their numbers. Furthermore, there is nomention of a bacterial air filter for the air going into thefermentation chamber. The potential of pathogens coming into thefermentation chamber can be dangerous. There is also no mention ofheating or cooling to offset the temperature outside the fermentationchamber and the temperature of the air going in. This is critical asoptimum temperature for the organisms being grown is essential foroptimum cell counts. Finally, there is no mention of protection fromdirect sunlight. This system does not seem to be suitable for outdooroperation in extreme weather. It is indeed intended to be used insidetemperature-controlled buildings. U.S. Pat. No. 7,081,361 granted toPearce, Kiplinger, Evaro, Pruitt and Colarruso in July, 2006 describevirtually the same vortex system as mentioned above and the patent hasthe same shortcomings described. The same inventors were granted U.S.Pat. No. 7,635,587 in December, 2009. This patent also has the sameshortcomings. U.S. Pat. No. 8,093,040 granted to the same inventors inJanuary 2012 also has the same disadvantages described because it usesthe same vortex system with no bacterial-air filter, nor heating orcooling to withstand outdoor weather nor protection from sunlight. U.S.Pat. No. 8,551,762 granted to Fleming, Boesch-Deveze, Evaro, Pearce,Rushing and Trevino in October, 2013, also describes the same vortexsystem with the same shortcomings.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,712 granted in June 2003 to Rothweiler comprises ofa bacteria solution breeding tank (fermentation chamber), a bacteriasolution tank for feeding organisms and an aeration pump. The bioreactoruses a recirculating pump which can be a source of constant shear stressand affect the membrane of the cells being grown reducing their numbers.The system has no cooling of the stock feed solution nor for thebreeding tank in case of excessive environmental heat. Moreover, thereis no protection from ultraviolet radiation. The patent also mentions anair filtration of two microns in pore size. A filter with pore size oftwo microns is not sufficient to prevent bacteria or bacteria sporesfrom entering the system. A 0.2 micron filter is normally used forbiological filters. An economical, autoclavable and easy to replacemembrane filter as the one in this patent application has 0.2 micronpores. This membrane is effective, economical and can be used formultiple batches before it is replaced.

Canadian patent CA2368407 was granted to Moffitt, Ehrlich and Arringtonin Jul. 24, 2003. This bioreactor does not have a biological airfiltration system to prevent pathogens from entering the fermentationchamber through the air supply. It also has no cooling for the inoculantnor for the fermentation chamber in case of high environmental heat. Inaddition, there is no mention of protection of inoculants fromultraviolet radiation from sunlight. The system also uses liquidinoculants which are especially sensitive to heat and ultravioletradiation. Liquid inoculants are also vulnerable to pathogens becausewater and nutrients allow them to reproduce themselves if they enter theinoculant. Liquid inoculants are normally no more than 0.2 to 0.4billion cells per milliliter offering low competition to pathogens.Additionally, because of the low organisms count, the system is alsobulky and not appropriate for small places. Inoculants with the optionof powders, pellets, flakes or tablets like the one in the presentpatent application can be as much as 2 to 100 billion cells per gram.This makes the bioreactor system much more compact allowing the entiresystem to be placed on a standard pallet which is ideal for outdoor use.The absence of water also makes it hard for pathogens to reproducethemselves in the inoculant. In short, the system in the patentmentioned above does not keep pathogens out, it is bulky and it is notsuitable for outdoor application in extreme weather.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,879,593 granted in February 2011 to Whiteman describes abioreactor that can be used onsite.

The system can be used with a pre-fermentation and a post fermentationchamber to increase the number of organisms to be dispensed. However, atany stage of fermentation there is the possibility and danger ofallowing pathogens into the system. If the media from pre-fermentationis used to feed the fermentation chamber and this media is then used forthe post fermenter, the chances of incorporating pathogens at any stagecausing them to proliferate increases substantially. Pathogens can bedangerous for people working with the bioreactor or near it. Somepathogens produce antimicrobial components which allow them to curtailcompetition from non-pathogens and reproduce themselves in unwantednumbers. This can occur in any of the fermenting stages and carry oninto the next stage increasing their numbers further. A single stagefermentation chamber is safer. The cited patent also uses a pump torecirculate and mix the contents of the fermentation chamber. This is aconstant source of shear stress which can damage cell membranes andreduce optimal growth in the fermenter. A flexible hose diffuser suchthe one claimed in the present patent application aerates and mixes thecontents thoroughly without shear stress. The patent cited above alsouses an inoculant that feeds the fermenter. This inoculant needs to berefrigerated to maintain its shelf-life. This makes the inoculantvulnerable to power outages. If a power outage cuts off energy to thefermentation chamber for a day, only one day of fermentation broth canbe affected. However, since the inoculant in this system needs to berefrigerated, a single day of exposure to heat can damage the inoculant.This would produce a feed with low cell counts that would affect all thebatches fed with that inoculant. In addition, it would also increase thechance of pathogenic contamination because of low competition from theinoculant. The cited patent can also use organisms in powder or gel formenclosed in water soluble capsules. However, there is no provision toprotect the capsules from excessive environmental heat or fromultraviolet radiation from sunlight. Finally, the air filter appears tobe a standard biofilter. These types of filters can be used a few timesbefore they must be removed and autoclaved. After a few cycles they needto be discarded. They are hard to maintain and they are very expensivecosting several hundred dollars that would be passed on to the customer.The biological filter described in the present patent application uses amembrane. Many membrane filters can be cut to size at the same time.Then, they are autoclaved to take to the location of the bioreactor.When needed a filter membrane can be replaced in less than a minute.Each membrane cut to size for the filter is only a few pennies and canrun several cycles of the bioreactor. The patent cited above is not foroutdoor use and it is vulnerable to pathogen contamination.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,052,873 granted in November 2011 to Foster, Smith, Duosand Guidotti describes a bioreactor that achieves aeration byrecirculation of the fluid medium from the top of the fermentationchamber through a pipe that runs the length of the inner wall. Theconical bottom has an orifice allowing for recirculation of the fluidmedium tangentially to the sidewalls causing a vortex and mixing at thetop. The air is supplied through a vent port. The constant shear stressof a pump to mix the fermentation media can affect the cell membrane ofthe organisms being grown reducing cell output. The air inlet has nobiological filter that would prevent pathogens from growing in thefermentation media causing a potential danger for workers using thebioreactor or working near it. There is no description of a heating or acooling system that would allow the fermentation media to remain atoptimum temperature for the growth of organisms if the outside weatheris too cold or too hot. There is also no description of protectionagainst ultraviolet radiation from direct sunlight. The system alsoseems to be limited to a batch bioreactor for industrial wastewater. Thesame type of bioreactor was patented by the same inventors mentionedabove in U.S. Pat. No. 8,486,266 issued in July 2013. Both patents sharethe same title: “Bacterial cultivation system for growth of substratespecific micro-organisms for use in industrial wastewater remediation”.The bioreactor is virtually the same and has the same shortcomingsmentioned above. U.S. Pat. No. 8,282,826 was also assigned to the samethree inventors in October 2012 and describes the same bioreactor togrow substrate-specific micro-organisms for use in industrial wastewaterremediation. This patent also suffers the same shortcomings as describedabove.

Although the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for growing and delivering biosafety-level-onebacterial, fungal or actinomyces cultures to an environment containingwastes or contaminants. The apparatus can dispense the microorganismswhile operating in batch, semi-continuous and continuous manner. A batchapplication would need an operator to turn on the bioreactor, fill thefermenter chamber with water and apply a water soluble bag containingmicroorganisms and nutrients into the fermentation chamber. Then, 24hours later, the operator would drain the fermenter to apply theorganisms to the contaminated environment. This would be done every timethat the bioreactor needs to run a cycle. A semi-automatic bioreactorcan automatically turn on and fill the fermentation chamber with water.An operator would add a water soluble bag with the organisms and thebioreactor can dose it as needed based on a program in the controlsystem. An automatic bioreactor would turn on the bioreactor, fill thefermentation chamber with water and apply the organisms with nutrients.The fermentation chamber would maintain a pre-set broth level and theorganisms' activity would be maintained as the bioreactor doses theproduct. A high biological activity is maintained by keeping thefermenter broth level and by feeding organisms with nutrients to thefermenter as needed. The apparatus can be powered by solar panels,gas-electrical generator, air turbines or an extension cord with the endenclosed in a water resistant control box such as NEMA 3 or 4 containinga GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) protector.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the fermentation chamber 1 (FIGS. 1,2 and3) comprises of a container holding a bacterial, fungal or actinomycesfermentation culture. Water can be fed into the fermentation chamberdirectly with a water pipe 2 (FIG. 1) with a solenoid or actuator valve3 (FIG. 1). The fermentation chamber could also be filled from areservoir tank that is maintained at a preset water level. In bothcases, an activated charcoal filter 4 (FIG. 1) precedes the fermentationchamber to neutralize chlorine or other oxidizer that may be present inthe water. The fermentation chamber can be made of plastic such as HDPEor other material that has low heat conductivity in case that theenvironment temperature is too high or low. In this manner, the impactof temperature from the environment is reduced so that the organisms cangrow at their optimum temperature in the fermenter and produce high cellcounts. The fermentation chamber is kept at a fixed temperature per theheating element 8 (FIG. 1) described in claim 1e.
 3. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein fine air bubbles are provided by an airdiffuser made up of a flexible micropore hose 5 (FIG. 1). The diffuserhose is made of a thermoset polymer with fine pores ranging in size from50 to 500 microns. The small size of the pores produces air bubblesapproximately 3 mm in diameter. The small bubbles provide high surfacearea to enhance oxygen exchange between the air bubbles and thefermentation culture. The flexibility of the porous hose allows it to bebent in any configuration and be placed at the bottom of thefermentation chamber or a point near halfway. In both cases, the bubblesprovide oxygen while their buoyancy provides full mixing of thefermentation bath. This facilitates contact with the organisms and theirnutrients for optimal growth. This method of mixing the contents of thefermentation bath is gentle and free of shear stress. This is importantbecause shear stress causes rupture of cell membranes reducing cellcounts. The flexible porous diffuser hose and diffusers made of suchporous hose are available from various suppliers in the USA. Most ofthese models resemble what has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,811,164, issued Sep. 22, 1998 to Mitchell entitled “AERATION PIPE ANDMETHOD OF MAKING SAME”, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein air is providedby an air pump 6 (FIG. 1) to supply air to the fermentation chamber. Thepump is able to provide air from 10% to 400% of the volume of thefermentation bath per minute. That is, a 100-liter chamber can have 10to 400 liters of air pumped through the diffuser per minute to ensurethat enough oxygen enters the chamber. As an alternative, pure oxygencan be apply if desired. The air pump is equipped with a dust filter ora HEPA filter 18 (FIG. 1).
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 whereinair filtration to the fermentation chamber is provided by a biologicalair filter 7 (FIG. 1) to prevent biological contamination from enteringthe fermentation chamber. The filter is placed between the air pump andthe diffuser. The air filtration element is made up of a microporemembrane held in place by any means that allow it to maintain a sealwhile the air goes through it. One way to keep the membrane in place isto use a clamped connector or a screwable PVC connector union. One ortwo layers of the filtration membrane can be used if needed. Themembrane is as strong as fabric and resists the air pressure from theair pump. The membrane has a pore size of 0.2 microns or less whichprevents fungi, bacteria and spores from entering and contaminating thefermentation culture through the air supply. The membrane can be cut tothe needed size and several can be autoclaved at the same time. They canbe brought to the on-site bioreactor in sterilized autoclaved bags. Eachmembrane allows air bio-filtration through several cycles of thebioreactor before it is replaced. The membrane is disposable, veryeconomical and easy to replace unlike standard biological air filtrationsystems. The cost of the micropore membrane is several orders ofmagnitude lower than standard biological filters which need to beautoclaved and eventually disposed after a few uses. The bacterialfilter membrane is made of strong sterilization wrap available fromvarious suppliers in the USA.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1wherein fermentation chamber is heated with a controlled submersibleheating element 8 (FIG. 1) with sufficient wattage to allow it tomaintain temperature even when the outside environment is very cold evenunder the freezing point of water. The heating element can be set to aspecific temperature mechanically or digitally. The temperature range inthe fermentation chamber can be kept between 60 F and 120 F. Thespecific temperature set depends on the organisms being grown. Thewattage of the heating element can range from 2 watts per gallon of thefermenting media to 50 watts per gallon. The higher wattage andovercapacity of the heating element is preferred to ensure that thechamber temperature is maintained because the air pump brings in coldair in very cold or freezing weather. Organisms reproduce themselvesvery slow in cold temperature (ex. under 59 F) causing low cell counts.7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus has a feedsystem that stores and feeds the organisms and the nutrients 9 (FIGS. 1,2 and 3) to grow them in the fermentation chamber 1 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3).The organisms and the nutrients can be stored and fed in the form ofliquid, gel, pellets, granules, flakes, granules, tablets or powder. Thepreferred method of feeding is through the top of the fermentationchamber. Liquids and gels are fed using low shear pumps to avoid damageof the cell membranes of the organisms. Pellets, flakes, granules,tablets or powder are fed with an auger system 10 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3)driven by an auger motor 11 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). The auger system can bea hanging system (FIG. 3) or a system that delivers the feed from floorlevel and brings up the feed in an angle (FIG. 1) or straight upvertically to save space (FIG. 2). The outlet of the feed system,whether the feed is driven by pumps or an auger system, has an actuatorvalve 12 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) that keeps the system closed. The valveopens seconds before nutrient and organisms (bacteria, fungi oractinomyces) are fed to the fermentation chamber. Seconds after thefeeding system stops, the actuator valve closes. This prevents humidityfrom the fermentation chamber to enter into the chamber containing theorganism and the nutrient blend.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1wherein the fermentation chamber and the chamber that stores theorganisms in the feed system are painted with a black coat to protectthem from ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. A second outer, specialcoating provides heat-reflection protection from sunlight. Even aconstant small amount of ultraviolet radiation from the sun or excessiveheat can reduce the number of many species of organisms in thestorage-feed chamber and in the fermentation chamber. Theheat-reflective coating is composed of ceramic microspheres mixed with apolymer and a white or pastel paint. The low heat conductivity of thecoating and its high reflectance of infrared radiation, visible lightand ultraviolet frequencies keep the fermentation chamber and theorganisms-storage chamber from overheating in hot weather. The coatingpaint can be purchased from various roofing paint retailers in theUnited States. Tests were run with the heat reflective coating (FIG. 4).Two identical tanks made of HDPE were evaluated. One tank had coatingand the other did not. Both tanks were exposed to direct sunlight, atthe same time, for two hours during noon time. Three calibratedthermometers were used. Each sat on an eight-inch tall piece of wood toprovide insulation from the heat of the floor. One thermometer wasexposed to direct sunlight, another was inside the tank with no coatingand the third thermometer was inside the tank with heat reflectivecoating. The tank with coating was 24 F cooler than the tank with nocoating.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the bioreactorsystem has an optional canopy attached to the platform where thebioreactor system is placed. Such platform can be a pallet or smallplatform because the system is compact and portable. The pallet is madeof wood, plastic or any material with low heat conductivity. The canopyprovides additional protection from heat of the sun and ultravioletradiation. The canopy system is of a design and shape that provides flowof air for cooling and prevents excessive air pressure on the canopy inenvironments with high winds. The color of the canopy can be a lightcolor that reflects heat or it can be coated by the same type ofheat-reflective coating used to coat the storage-feed chamber and thefermentation chamber. As an alternative to the canopy described above, ashed can be used to enclose the bioreactor system. This shed can be madeof plastic, wood or any material with low heat conductivity. Foradditional protection, the shed can be coated with the same heatreflective coating previously described. The shed can have windows toallow airflow or it can rely on the air-conditioning unit 13 (FIG. 1) inclaim 1 i) during hot weather.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1wherein the system has an option for very hot weather. In thisconfiguration, the bioreactor has a portable air conditioning system 13(FIG. 1) preset at a temperature between 50° F. to 90° F. and morepreferably 65° F. to 80° F. The purpose of the air conditioner is toavoid excessive heat during hot weather. High temperature can causeelectronic controls to malfunction. It can also kill organisms in thefeed storage chamber and hinder the growth of organisms in thefermentation chamber. The preferred configuration of the airconditioning system is for the cool air to enter the electronic controlbox 14 (FIG. 1) and exit through an insulated pipe 16 (FIG. 1) into thedouble wall of the feed chamber or a cooling jacked wrapped around it 15(FIG. 1) to cool its contents. This extends the shelf-life of theorganisms in the feed system 9 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) because many speciesused in the arts lose viable cell counts significantly when exposed toenvironmental heat. The cool air exits the double wall or cooling jacketof the feed chamber at the point where the inlet 17 (FIG. 1) of the airpump 6 (FIG. 1) takes air to the diffuser 5 (FIG. 1) inside thefermentation chamber. This cool air aids in preventing the fermentationchamber from overheating in hot weather. Excess heat in the fermenterhinders the reproduction and viability of many species. The airconditioning unit has a dust or HEPA filter 18 (FIG. 1) to prevent dustfrom entering the control box. The air conditioning system can bepurchased from Kooltronic in Pennington, N.J.
 11. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the water feeding system introduces waterinto the fermentation chamber. The water can be applied directly from awater-line with a solenoid or actuator valve 3 (FIG. 1). The valve isopened when prompted by a program in the control system 14 (FIG. 1). Thevalve shuts off when a switch level 19 (FIG. 1) attains a pre-determinedlevel in the fermentation chamber or a water metering devise can be usedto apply a predetermined amount of water. On a different embodiment ofthe apparatus, a water line fills a water storage container. Amechanical level switch can maintain the level in the water storagecontainer. The water is pumped from the container into the fermentationchamber guided by a water metering devise or a switch level in thefermentation chamber can stop water flow when full. The pump is drivenby a program in the control system to feed water as needed to thefermentation chamber. The water feed system has an option to use anultraviolet unit 20 (FIG. 1) on the water line for disinfection and anactivated charcoal filter 4 (FIG. 1) to neutralize chlorine or otheroxidizers that may be present in the feed water. On a differentembodiment of the apparatus, the water feed system can withdraw waterfrom a body of water including, but not limited to, a wastewater sourcewhen potable water is not readily available. In this embodiment, acoarse filter and a fine filter precede an ultraviolet disinfecting unitand the activated charcoal unit. This system can clean and disinfectwastewater to make it suitable for the fermenter.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein the semi-automatic and automaticconfigurations are driven by a programmable controller 14 (FIG. 1) withthe ability to switch on or off multiple elements such as air pumps,water pumps, heaters, solenoid or actuator valves, ultravioletdisinfecting systems, auger systems and portable air conditioners. Thecontrol systems can be purchased from Phenix Controls Inc. in Santa Ana,Calif., which are rated to work at −20° C. to 85° C. The controller isenclosed in a NEMA enclosure type 3 or 4 to protect it from rain, hailor snow. The flexibility of the system allows it to write programs torun the equipment in a batch process, semi-batch process or continuousprocess as described in claim
 1. 13. The apparatus according to claim 1wherein it has an optional spray nozzles or a spray bar 21 (FIG. 1) torinse the inner walls of the fermentation chamber when the chamber fillswith water. Rinsing is often necessary to wash away deposits ofnutrients and of organisms at the operating water level of thefermentation chamber. Water may enter the fermentation chamber throughspray nozzles or fermentation bar to wash away deposits. Rinsing can bedone as the fermentation chamber fills with water or as an additionalstep when the fermentation chamber is empty to fully clean it and drainthe deposits. These deposits contain beneficial microorganisms and arealso beneficial to the contaminated environment where they are applied.14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein it contains a system todeliver the fermentation culture to the contaminated environment whereit will be used. The delivery system consists of a low-shear pump, asolenoid or an actuator valve 22 (FIG. 1) to allow the fermentationbroth to be applied to the target environment. The system can be emptiedall at once in a batch process running a single fermentation cycle everytime. The cycle can be 24 hours or several days depending on theorganisms being grown. The system can also be dosed in a semi-batch orcontinuous manner. In the semi-continuous application, water, nutrientsand microorganisms are fed to the fermentation chamber to maintain itsvolume and high organism concentration while it doses into thecontaminated environment or wastewater treatment facility. After a fewdays of operation, the fermentation chamber completely drains, rinsesand begins the process again. In the continuous operation, water,nutrients and organisms are fed to the fermentation chamber to maintainliquid level and high organism concentration while the fermentationbroth is dosed. The system continues to work until it is totally drainedduring maintenance. In very cold environments, the heating element 8(FIG. 1) can be turned off via the electronic control system a fewminutes before the fermentation broth is applied to the environment. Inthis manner, the organisms adjust to the temperature of the environmentbefore they are applied without suffering a temperature shock.Afterwards, heating can continue in the fermentation chamber if brothremains in it. In a different embodiment of the invention, the broth canexit into the contaminated environment via spray head system 23 (FIG.1). This is useful when the product is applied to the sewer at a liftstation or wet wells. The spray head system allows covering a large areaof application to keep equipment, sensors and the lift station wallsfrom building up fat, oil, grease, and other biodegradable debris.Additionally, this application prevents mats of fat, oil, grease, paperand other debris from building up in the wet well, lift stations andmanholes.
 15. The apparatus of claim one where the wastes in theenvironment are substrates for the metabolism of the organisms applied.Such environments comprise of wastewater treatment plants such asaerated lagoons, facultative lagoons, anaerobic lagoons, contaminatedocean, oil spills, sludge lagoons or sludge ponds, activated sludge,oxidative ditches, sequential batch reactors, biological contactors,trickling filters, fixed bed reactors, fluidized bed reactors, sewersystems, aerobic digesters and anaerobic digesters. In addition, theenvironment containing wastes can also be contaminated water bodies suchas lakes, lagoons, ponds, rivers, aquaculture systems and ground water.They can also be contaminated water bodies used for recreation, fishingor water reservoirs. Other potential environments are septic tanks,grease traps, contaminated soil, landfills, leachate or compostingfacilities where the microorganisms applied help speed up the compostingprocess.
 16. The apparatus of claim one where the nutrients areinorganic and organic.
 17. The apparatus of claim one where thenutrients are selected from a group containing potassium phosphates,sodium phosphates, ammonium phosphates, ammonium chloride, ammoniumsulfate, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, ferrous sulfate andferric chloride.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1 where the organicnutrients comprise of various protein or carbohydrate sources such asgelatin, casein, yeast extract, beef extract, molasses, sucrose,dextrose and others known in the art of bioremediation.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 1 where the organic nutrients include substancessimilar to the composition of the wastewater being treated to conditionthe organism to adapt faster to the wastewater components that need tobe degraded.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1 where the organisms are anybacteria, fungi, actinomyces or biosafety-level one microbes known inthe art of bioremediation to treat various environments such as the onesdescribed in claim
 15. Remediation includes but it is not limited to thereduction of sludge, fats, oil, grease, odor, hydrogen sulfide,mercaptants, volatile organic acids, pathogens, mosquitoes, flies,ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphorous, heavy metals, pathogens, toxicorganic substances and EPA Contaminant Candidates.
 21. The apparatus ofclaim 1 where the formula of the organisms utilized can be customized tothe specific substrates that need to be degraded and to thrive in thespecific of conditions of the environment such as pH, temperature,nutrient levels, salinity, presence or lack of oxygen. Even if specifictoxic components that hinder organisms are present, a formula can bedeveloped that is resistant to the toxins present and degrade them. Thiscustomization of the formula is done based on the enzyme profiles of theorganisms as well as the temperature, oxygen and pH requirements as wellas evaluations to assess resistance to toxic substances that are knownby those in the art of bioremediation.
 22. The apparatus of claim 1where the organism concentration in the fermentation culture chamberranges from 10.sup.6 cfu/ml to 10.sup10 cfu/ml.